photo by sfgate.com: The San Jose Sharks Dalton Prout belts the Anaheim Ducks Nicolas Deslauriers in a first period brawl in Anaheim on Thursday night.
By Pearl Allison Lo
ANAHEIM — The San Jose Sharks won their first game versus the Anaheim Ducks this season 5-3 Thursday, as Anaheim played their 1000th home game capping a six-game homestand.
It was the first win out of four if you count the preseason. Both teams came in with four-game streaks in opposite directions, the longest of each at the time in the NHL.
The Sharks’ Tomas Hertl had a pair of goals, making it six in his last five. However, Hertl went into the locker room after he turned and Anaheim’s Sam Steel ran into him before the midpoint of the final frame leading to speculation on his true status.
It was the fifth straight win for Martin Jones in net as well, and he relayed, “Our mindset’s been ‘defend first’, and that’s when we score more goals.”
With the exception of the Nashville Predators game, the Sharks have had at least four goals in each game during their points streak.
San Jose scored in all situations, even-strength, short-handed and on the power play.
The Ducks got things going early with a failed clearing attempt by Radim Simek as he inadvertently then ended up blocking Jones’ view. Rickard Rakell chose the far side of the net from the right faceoff circle for the 1-0 advantage at 1:09.
The Sharks got a call in their favor when after review, Hertl was credited with a goal at 6:44. Barclay Goodrow took the initial shot which Hertl picked up. Goalie John Gibson saved Hertl’s attempt with his right leg blocker, but Hertl was able to push the puck enough against it until the puck crossed the goal line.
Timo Meier broke his career high streak with assists in now five straight.
At 7:33, Anaheim’s Nicolas Deslauriers and Dalton Prout engaged in a fist battle. Prout had just returned from a conditioning assignment with San Jose’s affiliate, the Barracuda.
There was 26 minutes and 16 seconds of a stalemate until both exchanged goals in the second as well, five minutes and 28 seconds apart.
The Sharks had three straight penalties in the second and the last cost them as Jakob Silfverberg scored 21 seconds after it. Rakell shot from beyond the right faceoff circle with Adam Henrique jabbing at it and Silfverberg finding the ultimate success 13 minutes into the middle frame. Before the goal, the league’s lead penalty kill had shut down 14 straight tries from teams. It was also a rare special teams goal for the Ducks.
Hertl continued with his hot hand to re-tie the game as the right faceoff circle saw more action. The puck glanced off Gibson as it landed in a similar fashion to Rakell’s goal.
In the third, special teams worked in the more dominant team’s favor as both teams got penalties but the Sharks racked up two more goals off those.
San Jose head coach Peter DeBoer echoed, “I thought in the third we found another level, our entire team.”
Ryan Getzlaf and Rakell had short-handed attempts shots stymied by Jones before Burns gave the Sharks their first lead at 8:05 with fancy stickwork down the slot.
Anaheim had three missed shots on the power play preceding Couture’s feed to Evander Kane one minute and five seconds later. Kane had sped up the ice before he tallied as Gibson stretched in the other direction.
The Ducks pulled to within one in a Jones versus Jones battle at 15:50. Max Jones’ puck went off Simek and through Jones’ five-hole.
The Sharks’ captain Logan Couture clinched the game when he won a breakaway attempt at 19:21 when Gibson just got back into the net.
Up Next: San Jose will head back home for two games, starting with the Detroit Red Wings Saturday at 7:30 pm.
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